In 2010, a drift prospecting study was initiated over the Kiggavik uranium (U) deposit under the Geomapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM) Program. The objective of this study was to document the till geochemical and heavy mineral signatures of the Kiggavik U deposit and to identify potential applications of those characteristics in future exploration for drift-covered, basement-hosted, unconformity-related U deposits. The study area is within the zone affected by the migration of the Keewatin Ice Divide of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Mineralized and non-mineralized bedrock and near-surface till samples (n = 71) were collected directly overlying, up-ice, and at various distances (50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 500 m, 1 km, 2 km, 3 km, 5 km, and 10 km) in a fan-shaped pattern down-ice from the deposit with respect to the dominant north-northwest, northwest, and west ice-flow directions. Detailed microscopy and microprobe analysis of ore samples from drill core reaffirmed uraninite and coffinite as the dominant ore minerals at the Kiggavik U deposit, with accessory galena, pyrite and very minor native gold associations. These minerals are predominantly very fine-grained and rarely exceed 100 ?m in diameter, with the exception of rare massive crystalline uraninite. Examination of the sand-size heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) from till yielded no U-rich or directly associated accessory ore minerals, reflecting the overall fine-grained nature and instability of these minerals in oxidizing conditions such as those found in near-surface till. This ultimately limits the utility of these minerals as empirical indicators of U deposits. Native gold grains in till samples collected in this study are, however, more abundant than those in regional background samples. Elevated counts were found up to 3 km down-ice of the Kiggavik Main Zone (KMZ) in a west-northwest direction. The sample containing the highest gold grain count in till was collected directly overlying the KMZ, suggesting local provenance and the applicability of native gold as an indicator mineral for Kiggavik-style unconformity-type U deposits. Moreover, Pb-rich fluorapatite grains (up to 8% PbO), from the alteration zone around the KMZ U deposit, are of particular interest due to their uniqueness, stability under near-surface weathering conditions, and thus their potential to be an indicator mineral for such deposits. However the fluorapatite grains are very finely crystalline, as are the main Ubearing phases observed in ore samples, therefore a new technique to separate, collect, and identify the finer fraction of the HMC needs to be developed.

In 2010, a drift prospecting study was initiated over the Kiggavik uranium deposit under the Geomapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM) Program. The objective of this study was to document the till geochemical signatures of the Kiggavik uranium deposit and to apply these geochemical characteristics for future exploration for buried, drift-covered uranium deposits. The study area is within the zone affected by the migration of the Keewatin Ice Divide of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Mineralized bedrock and surface till samples (n=71) were collected directly overlying, up-ice, and at various distances (50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 500 m, 1 km, 2 km, 3 km, 5 km, and 10 km) in a fan-shaped pattern down-ice from the deposit with respect to the dominant north-northwest, northwest, and west ice-flow directions. Samples containing the highest metal contents were located directly to the west of the deposit in locally derived, basement-dominated grey till, which markedly contrasts with the regional red till dominated by material eroded from the Baker Lake and Wharton Groups of the Dubawnt Supergroup. Till geochemistry exhibits a polymetallic dispersal signature down-ice of the Kiggavik Main Zone outcrop. Uranium, Bi, Mo, Au, Ag, Co, Cs, Pb, and W range from elevated to anomalously high concentrations up to 1 km down-ice of the Main Zone and thus can be utilized as pathfinder elements. These pathfinder elements are also present down-ice from other U deposits within the Kiggavik camp, demonstrating their broad applicability to U exploration in basement rocks near the Thelon Basin. Analysis of the <0.063 mm and <0.002 mm fraction of the till matrix shows that elemental abundances are significantly greater in the finer fraction, indicating a strong geochemical partitioning based on grain size. Laboratory gamma-ray spectrometry, Pb isotopic analysis, and X-ray diffraction were conducted on the till samples. Results show that eU and Pb isotope ratios (206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/206Pb) in the till matrix share a strong correlation with U content in till and can be used as a geochemical tool for U exploration. The clay mineralogy of samples with elevated to anomalously high U is enriched in illite and kaolinite relative to quartz. Pebble lithological and Pb isotope ratio analyses have trends that can be applied to deciphering till matrix provenance.